Jalisco, Mexico

CREDIT: WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES

Mexico City has been the recent travelers’ darling, but it doesn’t have a national monopoly on boutique hotels, innovative fine dining, or cultural riches. In the state of Jalisco, tradition and modernity mingle in fantastic fashion — and the region has never been more accessible. In Puerto Vallarta, the 55-room Hotel Amapa, coming this spring, is a boho-chic boutique alternative to the town’s many all-inclusive. On the Costalegre — the stretch of shore between Cabo Corrientes and Jalisco’s southern border — the 160-room Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo will open in 2021. Meanwhile, infrastructure investments are making the region easier to navigate. Highway expansions will soon trim the drive between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta from five hours to three, and the trip from Puerto Vallarta to the Costalegre from three hours to an hour and a half. And the Costalegre’s own international airport will open this year, making it even easier to sample all of Jalisco’s wonders in a single trip. —Carey Jones